Projet Montréal wants new "Pink Line" for the Metro

From Henri Brillon

October 12, 2017 10:15 AM

Projet Montréal

The proposed "Pink Line" would go from Lachine to Montreal North through downtown.

Election season is going strong in municipalities across Quebec. In Montreal, mayoral candidates across the board are competing for attention with their promises and plans for the city. One of the biggest issues this election is public transportation. With the blue line extension and REM train moving forward, the time seems ripe for Montreal’s public transit network to develop further.

A new metro line?

One of the promises attracting attention right now comes from mayoral hopeful Valérie Plante, leader of Projet Montréal. Her “Pink Line” proposal would connect Montreal North to downtown diagonally, and then continue above-ground to Lachine. It would connect with the blue and orange lines in three distinct spots and with the REM train downtown, while adding a much-needed public transit link for Lachine, NDG and more.

The new “Pink Line” would cost an estimated $6 billion and would be dependent on the planned blue line extension to Anjou. It would be built after that extension, and after the REM is inaugurated.

Coderre’s Plan: Mobility, Efficiency

Current mayor Denis Coderre has promised to continue the work that has already started on improving bus service on express and regular lines across the network. He has also promised to fast-track the smart bus tracking technology, expected to allow users to track the real-time location of their bus thanks to embedded GPS systems; no more wondering if you’ve missed your bus or not!

Coderre also wants to put the Bixi bike rental network under the STM’s authority. He thinks there are significant opportunities to combine the two services.

The current mayor also promised more free weekends on the STM networks, especially during special events such as the Formula E race.

Reacting to Projet Montréal’s Pink Line proposal, Coderre laughed it off: “Let's be frank here, it'll never happen. You cannot say that. There's other things that we can do. First the Blue line, then through the planning we're talking about to finish the Orange line.”